Foresta resigns as head coach for Phoenixville girls after 23 seasons

The veteran Phoenixville High girls’ lacrosse coach, who’s been at the helm since 1989, submitted her resignation recently, ending a productive run that saw the Phantoms reach the Pioneer Athletic Conference Final Four playoffs and the District One Class AAA tournament in each of the last two seasons.

Under Foresta, Phoenixville captured the Frontier Division of the PAC-10 in 2011 with an 8-5 (9-9 overall) mark before finishing second this past season in the league’s small school division with a 7-6 league record that led to another .500 finish (9-9) overall.

“I love coaching, but it can be draining,” said Foresta, who was the head field hockey coach at Phoenixville from 1987-97 and was a lax assistant for two years prior to getting the top job. “It’s a lot of time, especially with the way sports are now with fall and winter after school ball.”

Foresta, an Ursinus College and Phoenixville graduate, plans to turn her attention to officiating field hockey and lacrosse to continue her longtime commitment to girls’ sports.

“I just felt like it was time,” she said. “When you have to get started each year and start up each year to get motivated, it means it was time.”

Phoenixville has been on the cusp of breaking through in recent years, but had difficulty competing against nine-time reigning league champion Boyertown and the other Liberty Division powerhouses in the PAC-10. Last spring, the 32nd-seeded Phantoms were ousted by top-seed Great Valley 23-4 in the opening round of districts after dropping a 20-3 decision to Boyertown in the PAC-10 Final Four semifinals.

In 2011, Phoenixville suffered a similar fate in the postseason, falling to Methacton 15-3 in the league semis before suffering a 22-6 season-ending loss to No. 4 Harriton in the first round of districts as the No. 29 seed.

Still, it’s been a great run for Foresta and the program she’s built into a legitimate league and playoff contender. Foresta’s departure will free her up to officiate and have some time to watch her daughter, Jacy Sterritt, perform athletically. Sterritt will be a freshman at Phoenixville this coming fall.

“This is another chapter,” Foresta said. “I will get a chance to watch (Jacy) play as a parent on the sideline.”

One thing Foresta doesn’t expect to miss are the many emotional ups and downs associated with coaching.